The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ [A]
Deut 8:2-3,14-16  +  1 Cor 10:16-17  +  John 6:51-58
June 18, 2017

“‘… unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you.’”

There is a certain fittingness or aptness to God redeeming mankind through the Incarnation and death of God the Son.  St. Paul points out to the Romans that “just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous” [Romans 5:19].  God is, if you will, into fittingness, aptness, and order, so it’s no surprise that the Father redeemed mankind by the death of His Son made Flesh, rather than by, say, metaphorically snapping His fingers.  But He wasn’t limited to redeeming mankind by the death of the Son of God.  The Father could have used any means He wished to redeem mankind. Continue reading →

Saturday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 5:14-21  +  Matthew 5:33-37
June 17, 2017

“‘Let your “Yes” mean “Yes,” and your “No” mean “No.”’”

Saturday is the day of the week dedicated to Our Blessed Mother Mary.  We ought, each Saturday morning and/or afternoon, spend time in devotion to her.  One way to foster such devotion is to reflect on the Scriptures from that morning’s Mass in light of Mary’s life and vocation. Continue reading →

Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 4:7-15  +  Matthew 5:27-32
June 16, 2017

“‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.”’”

Jesus continues in today’s Gospel passage to give examples of the Law being fulfilled.  These two examples are about adultery and divorce.  While both examples concern human sexuality, Jesus’ teachings about these two grave sins take different approaches. Continue reading →

Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 3:15—4:1,3-6  +  Matthew 5:20-26
June 15, 2017

“‘But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment….’”

In yesterday’s Gospel passage, Our Lord stated that He had come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.  Beginning today, in the Gospel at weekday Mass we hear examples of Jesus fulfilling the Law. Continue reading →

Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 3:4-11  +  Matthew 5:17-19
June 14, 2017

“‘I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.’”

This week we’ve begun to hear Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, from the fifth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel account.  After the Beatitudes in Monday’s Gospel, and the similes of the disciples as salt and light in yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus today sets the framework for the teachings he’s about to offer the disciples.  We could sum up this framework with these words:  “I have come not to abolish [the Law] but to fulfill.”  Continue reading →

St. Anthony of Padua, Priest & Doctor of the Church
2 Corinthians 1:18-22  +  Matthew 5:13-16
June 13, 2017

“‘But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?’”

Yesterday at weekday Mass we began hearing from the Sermon on the Mount, which is found in the fifth through seventh chapters of the Gospel account of Saint Matthew (5:3—7:27).  In today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls His disciples “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”.  Either of these could serve you as the basis for a long period of meditation.  But consider just one aspect of what Jesus sets before you today. Continue reading →

Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 1:1-7  +  Matthew 5:1-12
June 12, 2017

“For as Christ’s sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow.”

Today the Church begins to proclaim St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians at weekday Mass.  We will hear from this letter this week and next.  Today we hear just the first seven verses of this letter (or epistle, to use a more distinguished term) that is thirteen chapters long. Continue reading →

The Most Holy Trinity [A]
Exodus 34:4-6,8-9  +  2 Corinthians 13:11-13  +  John 3:16-18
June 11, 2017

“‘The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.’”

A well-written biography fascinates.  The narrative of a subject’s life—the events surrounding the person and also the events which the person initiates—capture our imagination because the person’s choices are windows into the person’s inner life:  the person’s mind, heart and soul.

Something similar is true regarding the Most Blessed Trinity.  Theologians describe the Trinity with two different terms.  One is called the “economic Trinity”.  The word “economic” refers not to money, but more generally to works performed, as in the phrase “home economics”.  So the “economic Trinity” is the Blessed Trinity described in terms of works performed “outside” the Trinity.  In other words, the “economy” of the Trinity is those works that the Trinity never had to carry out, but nevertheless freely chose to carry out, simply out of love.  These works chiefly fall into two groups:  creation and salvation.  The former concerns everything in the universe, visible and invisible.  The latter solely concerns mankind.

The Blessed Trinity’s works of creation and salvation both serve as windows into the inner life of the Trinity.  This inner life is called the “immanent Trinity.”  This inner life of God is the very essence of the Trinity.  While the works of the “economic Trinity” are “exterior” to God, and therefore could possibly not have been done, the “immanent Trinity” is God’s essential Being in eternity:  as He was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Continue reading →

Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Tobit 12:1,5-15,20  +  Mark 12:38-44
June 10, 2017

“‘… but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.’”

We live in a society where values contrary to the Gospel are canonized.  A person’s value is measured in economic terms.  The poor are shunned as worthless. Continue reading →